1980s action stars then and now

The 1980s were a great decade for big-screen action and adventure. Join us for a look back at where our favorite '80s action stars are today, including 70-year-old birthday boy Sylvester Stallone. Although "Rocky" put Stallone on the map, the action-adventure "First Blood" in 1982 made him an international superstar. His other '80s action roles included "Cobra" and "Rocky III" and "Rocky IV."

Sylvester Stallone continues making action films today, including 2008's "Rambo" and 2010's "The Expendables," both of which he also directed, and 2012's "Bullet to the Head."

Besides reuniting with Schwarzenegger for 2013's "Escape Plan," Stallone has kept himself busy with familiar roles, both in "The Expendables" movie franchise and reprising the role of Rocky Balboa in 2015's "Creed," winning a Golden Globe and earning the second Oscar nomination of his career for the performance.

Chuck Norris starred in several action movies in the 1980s, including "The Delta Force" in 1986. Other hits included "Code of Silence," "Invasion USA" and "Missing in Action."

Norris has gotten involved in politics the last several years, including supporting presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012. After a seven-year break from movies, he returned in 2012 with a part in "The Expendables 2."

Arnold Schwarzenegger made a string of action hits in the 1980s, which included "Commando" and "Predator."

It was "The Terminator" in 1984, though, where the catchphrase "I'll be back" was born.

Schwarzenegger kept that promise too after his two terms as governor of California from 2003 until 2011. He first made a cameo in "The Expendables" while still California governor and then ramped back up his acting career with expanded roles in "The Expendables 2" and "The Expendables 3" as well as starring in the 2013 action flick "The Last Stand."

Schwarzenegger, seen here in March 2016, is hardly done with the action roles either, most recently returning to his role "Terminator" role in 2015's "Terminator Genisys," the fifth movie in the franchise.

Already famous thanks to "Star Wars," Harrison Ford became a bigger action star in the '80s as "Indiana Jones," not to mention another sci-fi role in "Blade Runner."

Ford continues to return to the roles he's best known for, playing Indiana Jones for a fourth time in 2008's "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" and reprising Han Solo for last year's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." He'll also be returning to his "Blade Runner" role for a 2018 sequel and picking up the Indiana Jones' whip for a fifth time in 2019.

First becoming a star on the sitcom "Moonlighting," Bruce Willis went "yippee-ki-yah" all over the bad guys in "Die Hard" in 1988.

Willis has kept with the action roles despite his age, including roles in movies such as "Red," "The Expendables 2," "Looper," "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" and "Extraction," and returning to his "Die Hard" role with 2013's "A Good Day to Die Hard."

Mel Gibson's first big role was in 1979's "Mad Max," but the '80s saw him continue with action flicks, including 1987's "Lethal Weapon" and two "Mad Max" sequels.

Gibson has hit a career bump thanks to several scandals, but he's still making action films, including "Edge of Darkness," "Get the Gringo," "Machete Kills" and "The Expendables 3."

Dolph Lundgren starred opposite Sylvester Stallone as Russian boxer Ivan Drago in "Rocky IV" in 1985, and went on to star in a string of action movies.

Lundgren has mostly appeared in smaller movies since his heyday two decades ago, but he landed a more high-profile role in "The Expendables" movie franchise thanks to his "Rocky IV" co-star Stallone.

Weathers has had recent TV roles in shows like "Psych," "The Shield," "Arrested Development," "Colony" and Chicago P.D."

Sigourney Weaver proved in 1986's "Aliens" that women could also be action movie heroes.

Weaver had a chance to return to the action genre by reuniting with "Aliens" director James Cameron for "Avatar" in 2009. She also appeared in the 2012 action-thriller "The Cold Light of Day" alongside Bruce Willis and Henry Cavill and in 2015's "Chappie."

In 1981, Kurt Russell shed his Disney family film image for the sci-fi action-adventure "Escape From New York."

Russell had a couple more action hits in the 1980s, including "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Tequila Sunrise." His most recent screen credits include roles in "Furious 7," "Bone Tomahawk" and "The Hateful Eight."

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to our Terms of Use.